Page 11 of Tharn’s Hunt (Barbarians of the Dust #2)

MY HUNT LEAKS WATER AND TALKS OF NON-EXISTENT FOOD

THARN

S he is burning alive in my arms.

The fire beneath Jah-kee's skin rages hotter with each step I take across the dust. Her small body curls against my chest, her face buried in the crook of my neck. Her breath comes in quick, shallow pants that make my dra-kir twist with worry.

I have hunted many creatures across Xiraxis. I have tracked beasts that could tear a hunter in half. I have faced dust serpents that lurk beneath the sand, waiting to drag unwary prey to their deaths.

But I have never felt fear like this.

The female in my arms is dying .

And I do not know how to save her.

" Jah-kee ," I project, desperate to keep her in the mindspace. " Tell me of your world. Tell me of the place that made you ."

Her mind brushes against mine, weaker now than before. The connection that flared so unexpectedly between us flickers like a flame being smothered by the dust.

" Earth ?" Her thoughts are disjointed, slippery. " It's...blue. So much water. Too much sometimes. Cities with lights that never go out. Forests that stretch forever . And people. So many people ."

I try to picture this strange world she speaks of. A place of endless water. Of forests . The concept is as alien to me as she is.

" And food ," she continues, her mind wandering. " God, I miss food. Real food. Not just... whatever that spiny thing was ."

The thought hits me harder than the shadowmaw’s teeth. The sandfin was a good kill. Its meat is rich with strength. I hunted it for her . And she did not like it.

A sharp ache, one I have never felt before, tightens my chest. Not anger. Not pride. It is the feeling of… failure. I have failed to provide her with something that brings her pleasure.

"You did not like the sandfin?" My thought is soft, laced with this strange new ache.

" Don’t get me wrong. It was great considering. But I'd kill for a burger. Or pizza. Or chocolate... " Her thoughts fade, then return sharper. " Do you have chocolate here ?"

" I do not know this cho-co-late ."

" It's sweet. Dark. Melts on your tongue. Makes everything better ."

I cannot picture this strange food, but the way her thoughts warm at the memory of it makes my chest tighten. I want to give her this cho-co-late. I want to give her anything that would make her eyes brighten the way they did when I handed her the crystal-trapped creature.

But I have only myself to offer. My strength. My determination. My will that she shall not die.

" We will find water soon ," I promise, adjusting my grip on her small form. " And shelter from the dark ."

Her response is a weak pulse of gratitude that brushes against my mind like a sand moth's wing. Too gentle. Too fragile.

I tighten my hold on her, careful not to press against the wound on her calf. The skin around it is still an angry red.

" I know it hurts ," I tell her, my thoughts gentler than I knew they could be. " But you must fight it ."

I feel her trying. I feel the struggle in her mind. The way she pulls herself back from the darkness that threatens to swallow her.

" That's it ," I encourage. " Strong female. Fight ."

She vocalizes something, her head lolling against my chest. The firebloom paste I gave her earlier should have helped more than this. But her body is different. Foreign to this world. Perhaps it fights the very medicine meant to heal it.

My wound throbs where the shadowmaw's teeth tore into my shoulder, the lifeblood dried to a tacky mess along my arm. I ignore it. The pain is nothing compared to the fear gripping my dra-kir.

I have never feared death. Not my own. It is the way of things on Xiraxis. We hunt. We kill. One day, we fall. Our bodies return to the dust, and the clan brings us to the Giving Stone, so Ain may welcome us into the next cycle.

But the thought of Jah-kee's death...

It tears at me like nothing I have known.

" Live ," I project, forcing the thought through our flickering connection. " Your sister-female awaits. Jus-teen needs you ."

Her consciousness flares at the mention of her sister.

" Justine ..." The thought is like a faint murmur. " I need to find her ."

" Yes. And you will. But first, you must live ."

Ain hangs low on the horizon now, her light bleeding into the sky in shades of red and gold. Soon, darkness will claim the land, and with it will come the predators that hunt in the dark.

I must find shelter before then. A cave. A rock formation. Anything to keep us safe while Jah-kee recovers enough strength to continue.

I scan the horizon, searching for somewhere to take her. The dunes stretching out before us? None offer the protection we need.

Ahead, barely visible, a dark line breaks the monotony of sand. Rock formations.

Shelter.

I quicken my pace, ignoring the burning in my muscles, the throbbing of my wound. Jah-kee's breathing has grown more labored, her small form still limp in my arms. Her mind flickers against mine, faint and erratic.

" I see shelter ahead ," I tell her, hoping she can still hear me. " Hold on, precious one. "

No response.

" Jah-kee ?"

Nothing.

Panic surges through me. I press my palm to her face, tilting it toward mine. Her eyes remain closed, her skin burning beneath my touch. The glow beneath my skin flares where we connect, pulsing with a desperate intensity.

I do not understand this light. Do not know why it appears when I touch her. But in this moment, I cling to it like a lifeline. If it still burns between us, she still lives.

" Do not leave me ," I demand, pushing the thought at her as if I could order her back from the edge of death through sheer will alone.

She stirs slightly, a small sound escaping her lips. Relief floods through me, so intense it nearly brings me to my knees.

She lives.

But for how long?

The question haunts me as I push onward, the rock formations growing larger with each stride. The light is fading quickly now, Ain's retreat casting long shadows across the dust. In the distance, I hear the first clicks of shadowmaws emerging from their hiding places.

They will hunt this dark. They will scent us on the wind.

And they will come.

I reach the rocks as the last light bleeds from the sky. The formations tower overhead, weathered by countless cycles of wind and dust. Ancient. Unyielding. I scan them quickly, looking for openings, for shelter.

There—a narrow gap between two massive slabs of stone. I approach cautiously, alert for signs of predators already claiming the space. But the air is clean, undisturbed. Nothing has made this place its den.

Yet.

I slip sideways through the gap, Jah-kee cradled close to my chest. The space opens into a small chamber, the ceiling high enough that I can stand upright. The stone walls will keep out the night chill and shield us from prying eyes.

Perfect.

I lay Jah-kee down carefully on the smooth stone floor, positioning her away from the entrance.

Her skin glistens with tiny beads of water, and my gut clenches.

This is waste. Her body is spilling what little water remains inside her, as if surrendering to the dust. But her chest rises and falls in shallow, rapid movements.

I place my hand on her brow, and the glow flares between us, casting eerie shadows across the chamber walls. She is too hot. Too still.

" Water ," I murmur, reaching for the waterskin at my side. " You must drink to replace what you are losing ."

I lift her head gently, cradling it in my palm as I bring the waterskin to her lips. Most of the water spills down her chin. I find I don’t care this time, as long as some passes between her parted lips. I watch her throat work, relief flooding through me as she swallows.

" Good ," I praise, stroking her face with my thumb. " Strong female ."

The glow intensifies where I touch her, and with it comes warmth. A warmth that has nothing to do with exertion or the wound in my shoulder. A connection that defies understanding.

I pull my hand away, unsettled by the strength of it.

Outside, the clicks of shadowmaws grow louder. Closer. My muscles tense, and I move to the entrance, peering out into the gathering darkness. I can see them, sleek black shapes moving across the sand, their scales gleaming in the faint starlight.

They have caught our scent.

They are hunting us.

I bare my teeth, a low growl rumbling in my chest. Let them come. They will find only death if they try to take what is mine.

A soft moan pulls my attention back to Jah-kee. She stirs, head turning restlessly from side to side, lips moving in silent words I cannot hear. I return to her side, crouching beside her small form.

" Jah-kee ," I project, reaching for her mind. " Can you hear me ?"

Her consciousness brushes against mine, weak but present. She doesn't respond with words, just a confused tangle of emotions and fragments of memory. Images flash between us—a world I cannot comprehend, full of strange structures and machines. People with faces like hers. And pain. So much pain.

" You are with me ," I tell her, my thought gentle. " Tharn is here .”

I reach for my medicinal pouch, retrieving firebloom leaves. My stash is dwindling quickly. There are only a few left. I crush them between my palms; the scent rising as I apply the fresh poultice to the wound on her calf.

I work carefully, spreading the medicine over the inflamed skin. When I finish with her leg, I turn my attention to her wrist—the wound I inflicted. It is smaller, less severe, but guilt claws at me, nonetheless.

I made her bleed.

I, who have sworn to protect her, hurt her with my own hands.

I spread the paste over the cut, my touch feather-light. The glow follows my fingers, sinking into her skin like liquid. I do not understand it, but I welcome it now. Perhaps it helps her somehow. Perhaps it fights the fire consuming her from within.

When I finish tending her wounds, I settle beside her, my back against the stone wall. I position myself between her and the entrance, a living shield against anything that might try to enter.

Outside, the shadowmaws continue to circle, their clicks a constant reminder of the danger. But they do not approach the entrance. Not yet. Perhaps they sense my presence. Perhaps they have heard of the fate of their brother in the cave.

Jah-kee whimpers again, her small body trembling. Without thinking, I gather her into my arms, cradling her against my chest. Her head fits perfectly beneath my chin, her weight barely noticeable against my frame.

So small. So fragile. So utterly precious.

" Rest ," I murmur as I press my face into her head-fur, the fine strands tickling my chin. " I will keep watch ."

She sighs, her body relaxing fractionally against mine. Her mind, when it brushes mine, is calmer now. Less frantic.

This small, injured female trusts me.

The realization settles in my chest like a weight, both heavy and somehow precious. I have never been trusted like this before. Relied upon, yes. Respected for my skills as a hunter and tracker. But this...this is different.

This feels like responsibility. Like duty. Like...something I have no word for.

Outside, a shadowmaw screeches, the sound echoing across the stone. Others answer, their calls forming a discordant chorus that sets my fangs on edge. They are coordinating. Planning.

Hunting.

I tighten my hold on Jah-kee, my claws extending slightly in response to the threat. They will not have her. I will tear apart any creature that tries.

" Goldilocks ..."

Her voice in the mindspace is so faint I almost miss it. It takes me a moment to realize she is referring to me. She has named me.

" I am here ," I respond immediately, searching for her consciousness in the swirling storm of fire and pain.

" Don't leave me ," she pleads, the thought achingly vulnerable.

" Never ," I promise, and mean it with every fiber of my being.

I feel her relax against me, her consciousness slipping away once more. But this time, it doesn't feel like she's fading. Just resting. Gathering strength.

Fighting.

Hesitantly, I press my face to her head fur again, inhaling her scent. Even through the fire and fear, her scent is vivid. It calls to me in ways I cannot explain. Calls to me in ways that make me want to hunt the stars themselves if it would keep her safe.

I do not understand what is happening. Do not know why this female affects me so. Why her presence in my arms feels like coming home after a long hunt. Why her pain feels like my own, tearing at my dra-kir with each labored breath she takes.

I only know that I must save her.

Whatever the cost.

Whatever it takes.

Jah-kee will live.

I will accept nothing less.